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SCOTUS Temporarily Blocks Release of Trump’s Financial Info to House Investigators

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The judicial fight over legal demands for release of President Donald Trump’s financial records took another step forward Monday when the Supreme Court of the United States temporarily stopped demands that President Donald Trump’s longtime accounting firm turn over information to congressional investigators.

The order, which was signed by Chief Justice John Roberts, gives the House of Representatives until Thursday to respond. The decision comes after President Trump’s lawyers asked the court to stop the records from being released under subpoena and after the House of Representatives’ general counsel told the high court in a letter that the lawmakers would agree to “a short ten-day administrative stay” beginning on Wednesday in order to allow both sides of the case to file necessary legal paperwork.

The case involves a subpoena that the House Oversight Committee sent to the president’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, back in April for records related to its investigation into Trump’s business dealings from both before and after he took office. While the committee said it needed the documents for an evaluation of current government ethics laws, the president’s team told the court that the investigation “serves no legitimate legislative purpose.” In October, a majority decision of a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the subpoena.

The lone dissenter in the three-judge decision was Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee confirmed to the bench earlier this year, who said the court’s opinion blurred the “consistent line” between Congress’ legislative powers and its impeachment powers.

“When Congress seeks information about the President’s wrongdoing, it does not matter whether the investigation also has a legislative purpose,” Rao wrote. “Allowing the Committee to issue this subpoena for legislative purposes would turn Congress into a roving inquisition over a co-equal branch of government.”

Last week, a panel of judges consisting of the entire D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling enforcing the subpoena with an 8-3 majority. Rao was joined in her dissent this time by another Trump appointee and a judge appointed by George H.W. Bush.

The D.C. Circuit case is happening alongside a similar subpoena case in New York, in which the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier this month that Mazars had to turn over the president’s financial records to an investigation being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. “After reviewing historical and legal precedent, we conclude only that presidential immunity does not bar the enforcement of a state grand jury subpoena directing a third party to produce non‐privileged material, even when the subject matter under investigation pertains to the President,” the federal court decided.

After the Second Circuit ruling, Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow said his team planned to take the fight to the Supreme Court. “The issue raised in this case goes to the heart of our Republic,” Sekulow said in a statement. “The constitutional issues are significant.” (For more from the author of “SCOTUS Temporarily Blocks Release of Trump’s Financial Info to House Investigators” please click HERE)

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President Trump’s Physician Releases Statement On His Recent Medical Examination

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President Donald Trump’s physician released a statement on the president’s health on Monday night after the president made a previously unannounced visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last week, which sparked conspiracy theories from some in the media.

“This past Saturday afternoon the President traveled up to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a routine, planned interim checkup as part of the regular, primary preventative care he receives throughout the year. Due to scheduling uncertainties, the trip was kept off the record,” Sean P. Conley, D.O., wrote in memo. “After a little more than an hour of examination, labs and discussions, the President took a brief tour of the hospital to visit with some of the medical staff as well as speak with the family of a soldier undergoing surgery, after which he returned home to the White House. Despite some of the speculation, the President has not any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues. Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations.”

Conley continued, “A full summary of his labs and exam will be incorporated into next year’s report, but the President has consented to me sharing that his total cholesterol is now 165 (mg/dL), with an HDL of 70, an LDL of 84 and a non-HDL of 95.”

“Primary preventative medical care is something that occurs continuously throughout the year, it is not just a single annual event,” Conley concluded. “As such, I will continue to monitor the President’s health, planning on a more comprehensive examination after the New Year.”

(Read more from “President Trump’s Physician Releases Statement on His Recent Medical Examination” HERE)

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WATCH: Adam Schiff Accuses Trump of ‘Witness Intimidation’

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We’ve already gone from “quid pro quo” to bribery, and now Democrats’ newest impeachment-related allegation against President Donald Trump is witness intimidation.

During the House Intelligence Committee’s Friday morning open impeachment probe hearing with former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, chairman Adam Schiff paused the proceedings to read a tweet from the president criticizing the career diplomat.

“Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad,” Trump said. “She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors.”

When asked to respond to her former boss, Yovanovitch said, “I don’t think I have such powers, not in Mogadishu, Somalia, and not in other places. I actually think that, where I served over the years, I and others have demonstrably made things better for the U.S. as well as for the countries that I’ve served in.”

(For more from the author of “Adam Schiff Accuses Trump of ‘Witness Intimidation'” please click HERE)

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Trump Intervenes in Three War Crime Cases

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President Trump has intervened in three military justice cases, issuing at least two pardons where U.S. service members have been accused of war crimes, The Washington Post reported on Friday. The president’s actions have been expected as officials have debated the president’s involvement in the cases over the past several weeks. . .

According to The Post, Former Special Forces officer Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn was charged with murdering a suspected Taliban bombmaker in 2010. Golsteyn maintains his killing of the suspected bombmaker had been legal. In the second case, Former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance was convicted of murder after he ordered his troops to open fire on three individuals in Afghanistan. In the third case, Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy Seal, was convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State militant. (Read more from “Trump Intervenes in Three War Crime Cases” HERE)

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Video: Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Defaced in Broad Daylight

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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was defaced yet again on Hollywood Boulevard this time in broad daylight.

The president’s star in recognition by the entertainment industry was defaced by a woman wielding a can of white spray paint, TMZ reported.

Video of the incident shows the woman walking up to the star, pulling out the spray paint, spraying over the president’s name, and then casually walking away.

Trump’s Hollywood star has been the object of repeated acts of vandalism over the years. It has been spray-painted numerous times, and one distempered leftist even took a pickaxe to the monument.

In April a man spray-painted the plaque black, then painted “Putin’s b***h” over it. Late in 2018, another man spray painted a swastika over the star. In another case in 2018, vandals placed prison bars over the star. (Read more from “Video: Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Defaced in Broad Daylight” HERE)

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Removing Trump by Senate Secret Ballot Would Be a Disaster for Our Republic

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Could the United States Senate use a secret ballot to remove President Donald Trump from office? Possibly, but it would be an absolutely terrible idea.

An article published Tuesday at Politico Magazine floats the idea, noting that Senate procedure allows the upper chamber to set its own rules for trying impeachment and that a bloc of just three Republicans could potentially force the issue.

The article — written by a former adviser to Republican politicians — argues that “the Senate’s role in an impeachment is analogous to a U.S. jury, where secret ballots are often used” and that Trump would “benefit in the long run” by being able to “focus his energies on his post-presidency.”

The appeal for some in the upper chamber seems obvious; those tired of the Trump presidency or who just can’t stand the man himself get to vote to remove the president from office and replace him with Vice President Mike Pence without having to face certain backlash from their own party and their constituents. But unlike jurors, senators are not selected at random. They are selected by the people with the knowledge that the person elected may have to sit for an impeachment trial, along with approving treaties and voting on the president’s nominees. Senators are accountable to the voters.

To seriously suggest removing this president from office via secret ballot — which has never been done before — could almost pass for bad satire at this point in the current impeachment process. (For more from the author of “Removing Trump by Senate Secret Ballot Would Be a Disaster for Our Republic” please click HERE)

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President Trump: We No Longer Have Freedom of Press

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President Trump again slammed the media on Sunday, declaring that “we no longer have Freedom of the Press!”

He made the comment in a Sunday morning tweet where he also said: “Journalistic standards are nonexistent today.”

Trump’s post was in response to a tweet blasting ABC News for not airing a report about Jeffrey Epstein while publicizing accusations of misconduct against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.

(Read more from “President Trump: We No Longer Have Freedom of Press” HERE)

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White House to Release Second Ukraine Transcript

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President Donald Trump reiterated on Saturday that the congressional impeachment investigation into his dealings with the Ukraine is a “witch hunt” while calling for former Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be called as witnesses in the inquiry.

According to Fox News, the president told reporters “The witch hunt continues, lot of witch hunt continues.” Trump added, “The Republicans have never been so united and I think the people of our country have never been so united.”

Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the nation’s 45th president indicated he will likely release a transcript of a second phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday. “They want to have a transcript of the other call, the second call, and I’m willing to provide that,” said the president. He continued, “You’ll read the second call, and you’ll tell me if there’s anything wrong with it.” . . .

As reported by TheBlaze, House Republicans also revealed on Saturday they intend to call on Hunter Biden to testify before investigators, along with the whistleblower who filed the complaint about the call. However, it is unclear if Democrats will agree to the Republicans’ proposed witnesses to testify. Fox also reported that pursuant to newly-approved rules governing the impeachment inquiry, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Democrats get to decide who testifies before the committee.

In response to the GOP’s request, Schiff issued a statement saying the Intelligence Committee would evaluate the Republicans’ preferred witnesses and “give due consideration” to those “within the scope of the impeachment inquiry, as voted on by the House.” (Read more from “White House to Release Second Ukraine Transcript” HERE)

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TRIGGER WARNING: Presidential Net Worth Comparison — Before and After Leaving Office

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Joe Miller offers a critique:

Respectfully, it’s likely to be the opposite. The way it’s headed, expect Trump to be bankrupt and/or in jail just a short time after leaving office. That is, unless there’s a clandestine effort to take the Oligarchs down. Let’s hope it’s the latter, or this country is toast.

To which I responded:

I agree completely. This is just meant to trigger the kooks.

(For more from the author of “TRIGGER WARNING: Presidential Net Worth Comparison — Before and After Leaving Office” please click HERE)

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Report: House Democrats Consider Drafting Three Articles of Impeachment Against Trump

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House Democrats have reportedly weighed drafting three articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, sparked by a so-called “whistleblower’s” mischaracterization of the president’s phone call with the leader of Ukraine.

According to ABC News, Democrats are evaluating articles charging President Trump with abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and contempt of Congress.

Impeachment investigators believe the president could be charged with abuse of power for floating to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into allegations of corruption against former Vice President and 2020 White House contender Joe Biden, along with his beleaguered son, Hunter Biden. Further, lawmakers believe the president may have obstructed justice and be in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas for documents and witness testimony.

“They have also weighed an obstruction of justice charge centered on the president’s efforts to obstruct former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation,” ABC News reports. . .

Investigators are wrapping up the private interviews as they prepare to start public hearings next week. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced Wednesday that three State Department witnesses will appear in two hearings next Wednesday and Friday: top Ukraine diplomat William Taylor, career department official George Kent, and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. (Read more from “Report: House Democrats Consider Drafting Three Articles of Impeachment Against Trump” HERE)

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